Fitness and dieting gadget, SCiO is creating a lot of hype in the tech world.

The gadget is able to provide information about a product’s nutritional reading by just scanning the item, much to any health and fitness fan’s delight.

Dror Sharon, CEO explains: “SCiO is the first molecular sensor that fits in the palm of your hand.

“It scans the molecular fingerprint of an object and provides relevant, instant information about its chemical makeup. You can use it to log the chemical fingerprint, record it, and share with your friends.”

SCiO stands for ‘to know, understand, perceive, have knowledge of or be skilled in’. The prototype, which is now being developed, can analyse an object’s chemical makeup by using a molecular sensor.

SCiO stands for ‘to know, understand, perceive, have knowledge of or be skilled in’. The prototype, which is now being developed, can analyse an object’s chemical makeup by using a molecular sensor.

The information is then transmitted to a smartphone via Bluetooth in a matter of seconds. It is small enough to fit in a pocket and is set to be a perfect companion on shopping trips.

The gadget is very significant as it could potentially revolutionise the way that we shop and choose our food. Being aware of the chemical makeup of something like a watermelon or an avocado can tell the consumer whether it is going to be sweet or ripe before it is purchased.

Also the calorie, fat and carbohydrate count will undoubtedly be popular amongst fitness freaks. It will hopefully make the task of reading the content of food packages redundant during a trip to the supermarket.

The SCiO’s popularity has already been highlighted by the amount of backers the producers had during their Kickstarter Campaign, an online funding platform for creative projects.

Overall backers were able to raise almost $25 million and each backer is expected to receive the SCiO when it is shipped later on in the year. An added bonus will be the opportunity for backers to also use any app developed by Consumer Physics for free.

A team of scientists and people with relevant degrees such as nutrition, physics and food technology now have the challenge to mass produce the prototype in time for Christmas 2014.

Comments from potential users on the popular technology website Gizmodo have already commended the gadget as one exclaimed: “It could have an amazing effect on the future.”

Dror Sharon, the maker of SCiO, hopes to see the SCiO established as the “Google” for the physical world. Sharon’s vision is for the SCiO to be globally used to find out ‘instant information about the things they interact with and consume every day.’

This could open the doors to a whole range of new possibilities as it will be easier to understand the physical environment around us.

The price tag for the device has also been a popular talking point as it is expected to retail at just £90. This is affordable in terms of what the device can do and how much potential it holds.

It is not only natural matter that the SCiO can scan but the gadget can also analyse anything from a plant to a bottle of pills in a matter of seconds.

People can check before consuming any type of pill to see exactly what they are made of. Parents can make sure children are not chewing on toys with a toxic content. Sharon adds:

“Imagine if there was a way to know the chemical makeup of everything you come with. The applications are endless.”

The SCiO is not the first gadget to give people an extra hand with fitness and dieting. DESIblitz counts down some of the best fitness and dieting gadgets that are currently on the market

Nike Fuelband The wristband tracks your daily movements including any activities or steps you have taken and translates them into ‘Nike Fuel’ points.

Fitbit Aria Wifi Smart Scale A wireless set of scales that is able to track weight changes and monitor fat percentages and BMI alongside the usual measure of weight. The data is transmitted online via your wireless network.

Xbox 360 Kinect training bundle The games console offers good workouts, fitness tips and performance tracking in the convenience of your own living room.

HAPIfork This fork is not any normal fork – it is actually designed to slow down your eating. A must for anyone who has a tendency to eat their food faster than they should!

The SCiO is expected to be the hottest gadget of 2014. Analysing the nutritional value of food to finding out the wellbeing of plants is just the tip of the iceberg of what the SCiO is able to do.

The fitness and dieting sector combined with the technology industry provides a vast market for the gadget so high hopes are expected.

Sensor scanning, data analysis and data recording are now an exciting reality so we can start secretly indulging in our Star Trek fantasy of owning a tricorder!

Clare is a History Graduate who writes about important current issues. She enjoys learning about being healthy, playing the piano and reading as knowledge definitely is power. Her motto is 'Treat every second in your life as holy.'